Ranking the Philadelphia Eagles’ rookies most likely to contribute in 2017

Several Philadelphia Eagles newcomers will aim to make strong impressions during this weekend’s rookie minicamp, which runs from Friday to Sunday. But which rookies are in position to make big contributions immediately?

We decided to take a look at that topic by ranking the Birds’ draft picks from eight to one, based on their potential impact on the team’s 2017 season. For now, we’ll leave out undrafted free agent signings, since the Eagles have not announced those players.

Take a look.

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

The Eagles drafted Gerry, a safety out of Nebraska, with the 184th overall pick in the fifth round. They then announced Gerry would shift to play linebacker in Philadelphia.

Gerry said he spent a bit of time at linebacker during his freshman year at Nebraska, but he emerged as a star in the secondary. He might need a year to get accustomed to moving forward toward the line of scrimmage, rather than backpedalling into coverage.

Gerry’s a big and physical linebacker-safety hybrid, which means the Eagles could use him to cover bruising tight ends in the division. If Gerry proves capable, the Birds might trust him to shadow the Redskins’ Jordan Reed or the Cowboys’ Jason Witten.

It’s likely Gerry will struggled to find a steady role on the Eagles’ defense in 2017 considering how sturdy linebackers Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham were last season.